PUMPKIN

RESCUING PUMPKIN SEEDS

Throwing out pumpkin seeds is like throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Indeed, thinking in terms of the Doctrine of Signatures, the pumpkin is perhaps more like a womb than a stomach.  Interestingly, the word womb is derived from the Anglo Saxon word for belly.  The seeds of an heirloom pumpkin can be retained for growing pumpkins the following year, or seeds can be eaten. 

Nutrient dense pumpkin seeds are rich in minerals magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc, as well as fiber, cancer fighting selenium, and phytosterols that help lower cholesterol.  You can boost the health benefits by flavoring the pumpkin seeds with butter or olive oil, spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg), and a touch of brown sugar, before roasting them in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Or you might season them with garlic, ginger, and sesame oil, roast them, and add them to salads or stir fries.  More ideas...
 

 
PUMPKIN BREAD
 
This recipe makes three loaves, so that you can give some away.
 
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoon cloves
1-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups cooked pumpkin, mashed
 
In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and mix well.  Combine dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture just until moistened.  Pour into three greased 9-in x 5-in x 3-in loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until bread tests done.

Serving idea: drizzle a little maple syrup over a slice, top with whipped cream, and spiced roasted pumpkin seeds.

Referencing the Doctrine of Signatures, pumpkins are large, round and hollow, just like stomachs, indicating that pumpkin helps to treat stomach problems.  
 
The doctrine is an identification system that states God has provided plants with signs or qualities as to each one’s usage.
 
With a whopping 564 mg of potassium in a cup, mashed pumpkin provides 33 percent more potassium than a banana.  Potassium works with sodium to maintain the body’s water balance and helps to neutralize acids consumed in a diet.  
 

Bright orange and rich in carotenes, pumpkin also contains alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin, which seem to reduce colon cancer.  In imagining the glowing eyes of a jack-o-lantern, think eye health.  Pumpkin also contains carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which promote eye health.  Carotenoids, however, require fat for absorption, so it’s essential to cook pumpkin with a dab of butter or olive oil.  
 
The easiest way to cook a pumpkin is to cut it in half, remove and save the seeds, and place the pumpkin halves face down in a casserole dish.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until tender. Butter and flavoring can be added during the last five minutes of cooking.  Or, pumpkin can be cooled, mashed, and divided into freezer bags for storage in the freezer.